Oregon State Police arrested a commercial truck driver Monday night two hours after an injury hit-and-run crash on a snow-covered Highway 20 in the Santiam Pass area.
Alvin James Ellis, 59, of Beaverton, was jailed in Marion County for misdemeanor fail to perform duties of a driver involved in an injury crash and two counts of fourth-degree assault.
Hermilo Estrada II, 41, and Holly Hamilton, 49, both of Bend, were treated at St. Charles Medical Center, Bend, for minor injuries, OSP reports this morning.
Police reported the westbound semi-trailer, lacking required tire chains, at 9:20 p.m. slid sideways across the eastbound lanes at milepost 78 and collided with a 2004 Ford Focus with Estrada driving and Hamilton as passenger. A witness told police the trailer “noticeably shook upon impact," according to an OSP news release this morning.
The truck and semi-trailer stopped momentarily on the westbound side but then continued westbound, leaving behind vehicle debris as evidence, according to OSP. At approximately midnight, an OSP trooper stopped a truck and semi-trailer westbound on Highway 22 near Salem. After an investigation police arrested Ellis, the driver, police reported.
OSP, Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Department, Black Butte Ranch Fire and Police departments and Oregon Department of Transportation responded to the collision scene.
